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BC Branch Meeting Audio Files

For a synopsis of each branch meeting presentation, please go to our Monthly Meetings page.

Members Only

Our presenters have given permission for audio recordings of our meetings to be posted for EAC members only. Please don’t share them with anyone else or post them on any other site.

2017–2018 Meetings

January 17, 2018—Editing for Accessibility. Almost 14% of Canadians report being limited in their daily activities by a disability, and 10% of Canadians have print disabilities that affect how they are able to interact with and understand text. If you edit anything for the general public, you are editing for people with disabilities. In this reprise of her session at Editors Canada’s 2017 conference, Iva Cheung will offer concrete steps you can take to make the communications you work on as accessible as possible. Iva Cheung is a Certified Professional Editor and a winner of the Tom Fairley Award for Editorial Excellence. She is working on her PhD in knowledge translation in mental health. Download the audio file for this presentation.

October 18, 2017—Scary Editing Stories—Surviving and Learning from Difficult Situations. Unlike Halloween, editing isn’t meant to be a scary experience. But not all projects are treats. We’ve likely all experienced tricky situations when a client, employer, or author has been difficult to work with, processes have gone awry, or the project has felt like a fiasco from start to finish. In every such experience, however, there can be a lesson and an opportunity for professional growth. Tonight’s panel—Frances Peck, Eve Rickert, and Eva van Emden—will share their scariest editing stories, how they handled them, and, most importantly, what they learned. A partner with West Coast Editorial Associates and a Certified Professional Editor (Honorary), Frances Peck works on a wide range of material, from websites and brochures to reports and books. She also teaches editing and writing at UBC and Douglas College and delivers workshops for a variety of organizations. Eve Rickert is a Certified Professional Editor and the founder of Talk Science to Me, a science communications firm that works with non-profit organizations, government agencies, universities, and consultants to explain and deliver science-based information through a variety of channels. She is also a published author and the co-founder of Thorntree Press. Eva van Emden, a Certified Proofreader and a Certified Copy Editor, edits trade books and magazines, self-published books, corporate reports, and scientific and technical materials. Download the audio file for this presentation.

April 19, 2017—Revitalizing Indigenous Languages Our April meeting promises to be fascinating as Nicki Benson of Kwi Awt Stelmexw presents an overview of Indigenous languages of British Columbia, current language revitalization initiatives and challenges, and the work of Kwi Awt Stelmexw regarding language education and place-name reclamation. ​Nicki Benson is an education initiatives manager with Kwi Awt Stelmexw, a not-for-profit organization founded in 2015 to advance Squamish cultural and linguistic identity. For more than ten years, she has worked in language education as a teacher, researcher, and consultant. She is the founder of Esperanza Education, an organization that promotes progressive approaches to language education, and has worked with international organizations on projects to support Indigenous language learning in several countries.​ Download the audio file for this presentation.

March 15, 2017—Trends in Book Publishing It has been almost four years since Editors BC hosted a panel discussion about the latest developments in book publishing. Since then, self-publishing, digital publishing, and other forces have continued to reshape this publishing sector. At our March meeting, industry expert Trena White will offer insights into the latest trends in book publishing and the prospects for making a living in this field. Trena White is a co-founder of Page Two, a full-service publishing agency specializing in nonfiction books based in Vancouver, and an associate agent of Transatlantic Agency. Before launching Page Two, Trena was publisher of Douglas & McIntyre and Greystone Books and a nonfiction editor at McClelland & Stewart. She is an adjunct professor in publishing at SFU. Download the audio file for this presentation.

February 15, 2017—Infographics and Data Visualization Infographics are an increasingly popular way to communicate in this social-media age. Smart and creative infographics can catch the eye and convey an incredible amount of information, and they can be easily shared. But they can also be poorly done and end up confusing more than communicating. What makes a good infographic? What does the creative and editorial process look like? Where is the infographics trend headed, and how can editors stay abreast of best practices? Join us as Nick Routleyof Visual Capitalist addresses these and other questions. Nick Routley is creative director at Visual Capitalist, a Vancouver-based company that combines art, data, and storytelling to make complex issues and processes more digestible and whose client list features major brands around the world. He is also the co-founder of Popcorn, a social media marketing and PR agency. A graduate of Emily Carr University and BCIT, Nick has been nominated for multiple Information Is Beautiful awards for excellence in data visualization. Download the audio file for this presentation.

January 18, 2017—A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Blue Pencil Since 2015, Editors BC has partnered with the Vancouver Public Library to offer Blue Pencil consults, in which volunteer editors meet briefly with writers to offer feedback on writing samples. A Blue Pencil session is a valuable experience for editor and writer alike, but it can also be intimidating to those unfamiliar with the process or unsure about how to approach it. A panel of experienced Blue Pencil editors will share their experience, offer tips, and help demystify this unique opportunity to engage with authors one-on-one and develop your editing skills while providing a valuable service to the local writing community. Download the audio file for this presentation.

2016 Meetings

November 16, 2016—The Art of Editing Poetry: A Conversation with Shazia Hafiz Ramji All editors must consider the needs of the writer, the reader, and the publisher or client when working on material, but this can be a particularly delicate balancing act for the poetry editor. What is considered? How does the editor navigate issues of poetic licence or the idiosyncratic use of writing mechanics? What are the desirable characteristics of a poetry editor, and what is happening in this publishing sector? Join us for a stimulating conversation about these and other topics as Talonbooks poetry editor and poet Shazia Hafiz Ramji speaks to moderator Lana Okerlund. Shazia Hafiz Ramji is the poetry editor at Talonbooks and an interviews editor at Canadian Women in the Literary Arts, and she co-edited the "Intersections" issue of Poetry Is Dead magazine. Her poetry has been nominated for the 2016 National Magazine Awards and is forthcoming in The Capilano Review and the "Augmented Reality" special issue of Letters to the Editors. Shazia's chapbook of poetry will be published by Anstruther Press in 2017, and her first book of poems will be out with Talonbooks in 2018. Download the audio file for this presentation.

October 19, 2016—So You Want to Be a Cookbook Editor Join seasoned cookbook editors Jesse Marchand and Lana Okerlund and local cookbook author Denise Marchessault for a panel on the tasty art of editing cookbooks. Denise, Jesse, and Lana will guide us through the flavourful world of cookbook writing and editing, sharing first-hand tips and tricks for those interested in the field. Come and participate in a lively discussion, and learn more about this editorial niche from both the editor’s and author’s perspectives. Download the audio file for this presentation here. Unfortunately, this recording is incomplete. See Iva Cheung's synopsis for an overview of the full session.

April 20, 2016—The Editor as Advocate: Plain Language and Social Justice As editors, we know we are proxies for the readers. Do we naturally have an obligation to advocate for them as well? This talk will look at clear communication as fundamental to a participatory democracy and functional society, drawing examples from legal and medical case studies. We’ll discuss the role of plain language editing in social justice issues and how best to uphold your audience’s rights. Iva Cheung is a Certified Professional Editor and a winner of EAC’s Tom Fairley Award for Editorial Excellence. She blogs about editing and publishing at www.ivacheung.com and is working on her PhD in knowledge translation. Download the audio file for this presentation here.

March 16, 2016—So You Want to Be an Expat Editor . . . Explore the pleasures and pitfalls of expatriate life as Daniel Gawthrop recalls his experiences as an overseas sub-editor at daily newspapers in Thailand and Burma/Myanmar. Drawing from two tours of duty a decade apart, Gawthrop offers insight into the challenges of navigating cultural differences, wading through butchered syntax in bad translation, and resisting newsroom censorship in a land still recovering from half a century of military rule. Daniel Gawthrop is the author of five non-fiction books, including The Trial of Pope Benedict (Arsenal Pulp Press). A former freelance journalist, he now works as a communications representative for the Canadian Union of Public Employees. Download the audio file for this presentation here.

February 17, 2016—An Evening of Show and Tell Join us for an exciting evening of presentations from some of our very own Editors BC members. Discover what your fellow editors have been up to as they share their experiences from memorable projects both big and small. Download the audio file for this presentation here.

January 20, 2016—The Tyranny of the Copy-Text: The Trials and Tribulations of Textual Editing A description of classical textual editing can make it seem arcane and dull, but taken in conjunction with the history of printing and textual transmission, it’s a fascinating discipline that can arouse strong feelings among its practitioners. Herbert Rosengarten will share some examples from his own experience to illustrate the challenges facing an editor whose task is the seemingly simple one of reproducing what an author wanted the reader to see. Herbert Rosengarten is a professor emeritus and former Head of the English Department at the University of British Columbia. He was a member of the editorial team that produced the Clarendon edition of the novels of the Brontës, a contributor to The Oxford Companion to the Brontës, and (with Christine Alexander) a compiler of the entry on the Brontës in The Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature, 3rd ed. He worked with writer and editor Eric Damer on a history of UBC, where he is currently executive director of the president’s office. Download the audio file for this presentation here.

2015 Meetings

November 18, 2015—Panel Discussion: Editing Global English A discussion on the role of editors in the increasingly globalized context of English. As editors, how can we edit with a sensitivity toward non-native-speaking authors? How does the author-editor relationship change when a second (or third) language is involved? What are the cultural and ethical implications of this relationship? Our three guest speakers have diverse linguistic and professional backgrounds that will help inform this relevant and much-needed discussion. Glauce Fleury is a Vancouver-based freelance journalist and communications specialist. After working for 15 years in Brazil, her Portuguese-speaking home country, she challenged herself to write professionally in Canadian English. Her work has appeared in publications from organizations such as the David Suzuki Foundation and Douglas College. Joel Heng Hartse is a lecturer in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University with a PhD in language and literacy education. His work in the areas of sociolinguistics, academic writing and publishing, and education has appeared or is forthcoming in the Journal of Second Language Writing, Asian Englishes, English Today, and Composition Studies. Carol Zhong has been an editor for over 17 years, specializing in academic work. She has a BA in French and an MA in TESL. In her previous lives she was an instructor of ESL, EFL, and English, in Canada and abroad. In the UK, she was a lexicographer with Longman. Download the audio file for this presentation here.

October 21, 2015—Editors Canada: Update on National Happenings One of our local members, Margaret Shaw, is on the national executive this year. She’s the director of branches and twigs for western Canada, meaning the BC, Prairie Provinces, and Saskatchewan branches and the Calgary twig. Margaret will talk about some of the highlights from the first national executive meeting of the 2015–2016 year, which took place in Montreal on September 19–20. She’ll tell us about the overall priorities the executive intends to address in the coming year, and also provide specifics about some exciting new projects and undertakings. Margaret Shaw is a freelance writer, editor, and trainer with a science background. She works mainly with technical material in the corporate and government sectors. In her previous career, she was an environmental consultant. Margaret has a diploma in professional writing from Douglas College and is certified in structural, stylistic, and copy editing. When not at her desk, she likes to be outdoors. Download the audio file for this presentation here.

April 15, 2015—Transcription, Captioning, and Subtitling: An Introduction for Editors Transcription, captioning, and subtitling are challenging and interesting areas of work for editors, from both process and service-delivery perspectives. To do this work, an editor needs responsive thinking skills, a full editor’s toolkit, and the ability to break down a job into its constituent parts . . . and then to recombine the parts to best represent how the text is performed. Kelly Maxwell is a co-founder (in 1994) of Line 21 Media Services, a Vancouver-based boutique service company specializing in transcription, captioning, and subtitling. Every day in her work brings new challenges, new stories, and new material. Download the audio file for this presentation here.

March 18, 2015—Writers on Editors: An Evening of Eavesdropping What do writers really think of editors? Do they love all that well-intentioned advice and criticism, or do they sometimes, just sometimes, resist it? Which editorial strategies work best for writers, and which are doomed to fail? Do self-published authors have different needs than the traditionally published? Our March author panel is your chance to eavesdrop and learn as three accomplished writers tell all about their editors. Margo Bates, author of P.S. Don't Tell Your Mother, The Queen of a Gated Community, and The Funeral Follower (in progress), uses humour to bring fiction to life. She is president of the Vancouver branch of the Canadian Authors Association and does public speaking, workshops, publicity, and photography. Daniel Francis is the author of two dozen books, mostly about Canadian history, and is a columnist for Geist magazine. His books, which have won several awards, cover a diverse range of subjects, from prostitution in Vancouver to the history of whaling. Jenny Lee (moderator) has worked on both sides of the author–editor partnership. A writer, editor, and digital journalist, she’s been with the Vancouver Sun for nearly 30 years. Download the audio file for this presentation here.

2014 Meetings

November 19, 2014—Access to Information: The Role of Editors As editors, our job is to make sure that the material we’re editing is as accessible as possible for its intended audience. But what do we do if we’re editing for an audience we’re not familiar with? What challenges do different groups of readers face, and what can editors do to make reading material more accessible to all audiences? Join us for a panel discussion with three speakers representing a wide range of readers. Panel speakers: William Booth, Downtown Eastside Literacy Outreach Coordinator; Sheryl Gray, editor and advocate for children with Down syndrome; Heidi Nygard, Alternate Format Collections Coordinator, Crane Library. Panel moderator: Shana Johnstone, principal of Uncover Editorial + Design. Download the audio file for this presentation here.

September 17, 2014—Hitting-the-Books Wine & Cheese: Professional Development Tips It’s back-to-school season, and we’re celebrating with wine and cheese—why not?—and an exchange of professional development tips. How do you build your editing skills and knowledge? How do you stay on top of changes in language and technology? Who are your grammar gurus? What are your go-to books, blogs, LinkedIn or Facebook groups, newsletters, webinars, podcasts, Twitter feeds? Bring in your well-thumbed publications, show us your online faves (laptop and projector provided), or simply tell us where and how you like to learn. Download the audio file for this meeting here.

April 16, 2014—Not Only in Canada, Eh? International Editing There’s a whole world out there in need of editors. Curious? Three panellists, moderated by Anne Brennan, will share their experiences of working for international clients, hiring international team members, grappling with editorial styles, marketing their services, and—of course—getting paid. Read Jean Lawrence's notes here.Download the audio file for this presentation here.

March 19, 2014—Behind the Scenes at the Library: Libraries in an evolving landscape The publishing landscape is changing fast, and it’s a challenge for libraries to meet the evolving needs of all parties—content producers and consumers alike. How do libraries select books and other materials in this new environment? What role do bricks-and-mortar libraries and bookstores play? What are recent borrowing and buying trends? How do e-books and self-published authors fit in? Christine Middlemass shares her experiences and suggests some directions for the future. Christine Middlemass, Manager of Collections and Technical Services, Vancouver Public Library, has been at VPL since 1978. She developed a number of collections and managed the historical photographs archival collection. More recently, she led a project to create a centralized team of librarians to select material for VPL’s collections. She has also worked on integrating selection, acquisition, interlibrary loan, and purchase-on-demand functions at VPL. Chris is an avid reader of science fiction. Download here.

February 19, 2014—Posture for Editors Are you achy or in pain after hours at your desk? Your posture may be playing a role. Bad posture, which causes muscles to fatigue quickly, is a repetitive cycle, but it can be broken. Training can help you maintain good posture and minimize pain. Registered massage therapist Luca Pellanda will speak to us about resting and sleeping posture, seated posture, and standing posture, and will give us simple tips for integrating better posture, strength, and activity building into our daily lives. Luca Pellanda, RMT, is a graduate of Utopia Academy of Massage Therapy in Vancouver and is trained in a wide range of therapeutic techniques. He focuses on identifying conditions that respond to treatment by myofascial techniques, therapeutic exercises, and life/work ergonomic changes, with the goal of improving clients’ sustainable mobility and strength. Download the audio file for this presentation here. Watch the presentation here.

January 15, 2014—A Tour through the World of Map Editing Editing maps without too much editorializing presents many challenges: How do you show boundaries that are in dispute? Name places where the Latin alphabet isn’t used? Portray sites using symbols without offending anyone? Produce a pleasing, detailed, accurate map without overcrowding it? Creating a map is an editorial responsibility as much as it is a graphic compilation. What to include and what to omit, how to spell place names, how to show such items as hotels without being overtly commercial, how to overcome opposition that can become quite heated, and how to work with production facilities in different parts of the world and with differing cultural backgrounds—these are key editorial considerations in the world of map publishing. Jack Joyce is founder and president of International Travel Maps and Books (ITMB Publishing). As a retailer of maps from Asia, Europe, and the U.S., Jack discovered that maps of Latin America were almost impossible to find. Responding to customer demand, he partnered with Kevin Healey, an Australian cartographer, to form ITMB and began publishing original maps. Today ITMB is the largest publisher of travel maps in the world. Download the audio file for this presentation here.

2013 Meetings

November 20, 2013—What the Heck Is Happening in Book Publishing? Is book publishing an archaic industry in decline or an expanding field of unprecedented opportunity? Do book editors need new skills to remain relevant? Will the editorial role shrink, or will editors step into higher-profile positions as part of a publisher’s quality or curatorial “brand”? And what about self-publishing—is there an editorial living to be made there? Join a panel of eminent book editors and publishers—Laraine Coates, Nancy Flight, and Barbara Pulling—for a discussion of the latest developments in this ever-changing industry. Lana Okerlund will moderate. Download here.

October 16, 2013—EAC gets a structural edit. There’s new legislation in store for national not-for-profits in Canada, and it spells change for EAC. This fall members across Canada are being asked how the association should revise its structure to comply. Former EAC president Maureen Nicholson will run through the new legal requirements and guide us in a discussion of the best options for the association and our branch. Download or listen here.

September 18, 2013—Wine & cheese, editors’ show and tell: timesaving tools, tips, and tricks. Efficient, productive, savvy—we all want to be that editor. What better way to learn than from each other? Come out for an informal exchange of shortcuts, apps, databases, programs, references, and general wisdom on how to do it faster and better. Show your faves on the laptop and projector (provided) or tell us your tricks of the trade. Download here. Get a list of the main tips here.

April 17, 2013—The good, the bad, and the “that could have gone better” about subcontracting. Join three editors—Patricia Anderson, Amelia Gilliland, and Eve Rickert—for a lively panel discussion of what works and what doesn’t, no matter which side of the subcontract you’re on. Moderated by Frances Peck, EAC-BC programs co-chair. Download or listen here. (This recording is incomplete due to technical difficulties.)

March 20, 2013—Katherine McManus presents Plain Language Certification, and talks about the new international project to launch certification in plain language. Download or listen here.

February 20, 2013—Iva Cheung on Editing Books in Translation, an insider’s look at the pleasures and pitfalls of editing books in translation. Download or listen here.

2012 Meetings

November 21, 2012—Language Detectives. What do syntax and CSI have in common? Find out in this fascinating glimpse into the world of forensic linguistics with Dr. Lorna Fadden, linguistics professor at Simon Fraser University and a consultant in the field of forensic linguistics.Warning: This session contains discussion of pedophilia, suicide, murder, stalking, and strong language.Download or listen here.

October 17, 2012—E-books. What exactly what goes into making an e-book, and what do editors need to know?
Speaker Lara Smith, Print and Digital Coordinator at D&M Publishers, will go over different e-book formats. Download or listen here.

April 18, 2012—Certified editors Lana Okerlund, Anne Brennan, and Ann-Marie Metten present “Yes, You Can!” Dispelling the Myths of Certification.Download or listen here. Also, get the